EP3524759B1 - Vehicle door with handle - Google Patents

Description

The invention relates to a vehicle door handle with an antenna arrangement.

In particular, the invention relates to a vehicle door handle of a vehicle door which is arranged on a motor vehicle or is intended to be arranged on a motor vehicle. The vehicle door handle has a handle and a handle support. The handle is stored in the handle support.

In particular, the invention relates to a vehicle door handle with a handle which is designed as an elongated body and is mounted in the handle carrier with a first bearing section arranged at a first end of the handle and a second bearing section arranged at a second end of the handle.

A gripping section for gripping by a user is formed in a central section of the handle.

In the case of a fixed door handle, the bearing sections are permanently coupled to the handle carrier. This coupling takes place during the initial assembly and the door handle interacts with an electrically operated lock (e-latch). The handle then serves in particular as an access option for pivoting the door and, if necessary, accommodates electronic sensors and other components which trigger the electric door lock when a user accesses the door handle.

In the case of a pivotable door handle, on the other hand, an end section of the handle is designed as an actuation section with an associated bearing section. In a second end section along the longitudinal alignment of the handle of the pivotable door handle, a pivot section with an associated bearing section is formed. The pivoting section and the actuating section are correspondingly arranged at longitudinal ends of the handle facing away from one another.

The actuating section of a pivotable handle is referred to as such in this application because its bearing section protrudes into the handle carrier and is there in mechanical operative connection with actuating means in order to transmit a movement of the handle to the actuating means. This section can be moved when a user grasps the gripping section or reaches behind it and exerts a tensile force. Then the actuating section is deflected and the associated bearing section actuates the actuating means in the handle carrier.

The pivoting section is formed at the other end of the handle of the pivotable door handle. The bearing section of this swivel section is received in a swivel bearing of the handle carrier so that when the user pulls the handle in the gripping section, it can be swiveled in a guided movement through the interaction of the bearing section of the swivel section and the swivel bearing. The handle is therefore pivoted on one side in a pivot bearing and is thus deflected at the other end (the actuation section) distal from the pivot section in order to actuate the actuation means in the handle carrier.

The handle is positioned with the handle support on the vehicle door and forms a gripping space with a sheet metal section of the vehicle door. The gripping space is formed by the distance between the handle and the sheet metal in a section between the first end of the handle and the second end of the handle and is used by the operator to operate the handle by reaching into the gripping space. Depending on the type of door handle, actuation can take place in a purely mechanical manner by pivoting the handle or by triggering a sensor on a sheet metal section, for example a capacitive or inductive sensor.

The sheet metal section of the vehicle door can be an integral part of a sheet metal jacket of the vehicle door. Of the The sheet metal section of the vehicle door can alternatively be part of the vehicle door handle, which is arranged with the door handle on the vehicle door.

Regardless of the type of door handle, i.e. both fixed door handles and pivoting door handles, at least one antenna with a control circuit is arranged in the handle itself, the control circuit having signal lines which are led through the handle to the handle carrier. Electromagnetic waves can be transmitted via the antenna in the handle for radio communication with an external device such as an ID transmitter.

Vehicle door handles of the type mentioned are known in the art. For example, a generic vehicle door handle device from the EP 2 772 986 A1 known.

The arrangement in an antenna in a vehicle door handle as part of a passive entry system is, for example, from US 2014/0253287 A1 known. From this document, the aforementioned US 2014/0253287 A1 , it is also known that UWB antennas on the vehicle can be used to communicate with a so-called "key fob".

The antennas arranged in the vehicle door handle are often low-frequency antennas which send trigger or wake-up signals to electronic vehicle keys for so-called keyless entry systems. In motor vehicles, however, there is an increasing need for complex communication between electronic vehicle keys, often also referred to as ID transmitters, and the infrastructure on the vehicle side.

The invention is based on the object of providing improved functionality of a vehicle door handle.

The object is achieved with a vehicle door with a vehicle door handle with the features of claim 1.

The invention relates to a vehicle door with a vehicle door handle or one of its developments. According to the invention, the vehicle door handle of the type mentioned at the beginning an ultra-broadband antenna, abbreviated: UWB antenna, on the inside of the handle. The UWB antenna is designed for UWB signal transmission.

The control circuit is preferably designed as a transceiver circuit for bidirectional operation, that is to say transmission operation and reception operation with the same UWB antenna. About the UWB communication is accordingly possible as an assembly consisting of antenna and control circuit.

The UWB antenna is designed to carry out a UWB signal transmission in a UWB frequency range. A UWB frequency range is to be understood as a frequency range which, on the one hand, comprises a large number of frequencies and, on the other hand, is intended by a regulatory authority, for example a national regulatory authority, for civil or military use of UWB communication and is in particular approved for such use.

In principle, the use of UWB radio signals for different applications is known from the prior art. For use in products for the end user, however, market-ready UWB transceivers have only recently become available. The basic principles of ultra broadband technology have been known for a long time. However, it is only in the recent past that use has become accessible outside of special applications, not least because of more liberal regulation.

Ultra-broadband technology is short-range radio communication based on the transmission of short signal pulses. The signal pulses cover a large number of frequencies within a large frequency bandwidth. The breadth of the frequency ranges covered is particularly dependent on the regulatory requirements of the relevant territorial area. In UWB, in contrast to most common radio communication methods, information transmission is not based on carrier frequency modulation. Instead, other methods of modulation are used, such as on / off keying, pulse amplitude modulation or pulse position modulation.

The UWB communication has the advantage in principle that, due to the transmission of pulses, distance can be determined using a transit time-based approach is possible. Such approaches are often referred to as time-of-flight methods. For example, the distance between a UWB antenna and a portable ID transmitter prepared for UWB communication can be determined with comparatively high accuracy. This can be achieved, for example, by sending a UWB signal from the UWB antenna to the portable ID transmitter, a UWB transceiver of the portable ID transmitter answering this and a control circuit coupled to the UWB antenna of the handle responding to the recorded response signal evaluates. Experience has shown that under good conditions an accuracy of the distance determination in the order of magnitude of a few centimeters to a few tens of centimeters can be achieved.

Because the pure transit time of the UWB signal is relatively short compared to the processing time, additional processing of the signal, for example to manipulate the signal as part of a relay station attack, would then be due to the unexpectedly long total time between sending a UWB Signal and the arrival of the expected response. A compromise, for example by a relay station attack, is therefore only possible, if at all, with UWB-based distance determination with very complex methods.

Another advantage of UWB-based communication, which is used to advantage in the context of vehicle communication with the ID transmitter, is the generally short transmission range of typically a few tens of centimeters to around several meters (depending on the transmission power, which are, however, comparatively small with the currently envisaged civil use options). The short transmission range reduces the susceptibility of a UWB system of the type described for unwelcome data acquisition and analysis.

Another advantage that results from the use of UWB communication is that, due to the large number of frequencies used, unintentional, inadvertent shading of the signals from a transmitter by the receiver is relatively unlikely. The reason for this is that there is always a line of sight between transmitter and receiver with a high degree of probability, at least for some of the frequencies used simultaneously or quasi simultaneously. The use of a UWB antenna within a handle unfolds this advantage in a special way from this point of view. This is because, for example, UWB communication between a UWB antenna located within a handle and an ID transmitter of the operator is robust to the actual storage location on the operator's body. Correspondingly, sufficiently good UWB communication can be expected in many cases, even if the operator carries the ID transmitter, for example, in a side of the body facing away from the handle, for example in a coat pocket.

As already mentioned at the beginning, the UWB antenna according to the invention is arranged within the handle. The arrangement of the UWB antenna inside the handle provides a solution for arranging the UWB antenna in an elegant way on the vehicle outside of its sheet metal casing. The arrangement of the UWB antenna outside the sheet metal casing of the vehicle leads to improved UWB communication, since effects such as the Faraday cage effect in particular are avoided.

The arrangement of the UWB antenna outside the sheet metal casing of the vehicle is associated with less pronounced impairment of the UWB signal, which is sent between the ID transmitter and the UWB antenna of the vehicle and / or between the UWB antenna of the vehicle and the ID transmitter.

The arrangement of the UWB antenna within the vehicle door handle also has the further advantage This is accompanied by the fact that the electronics that are usually present in the vehicle door handle anyway can be partially or fully used or adapted in order to at least contribute to the control of the UWB antenna. The proposed vehicle door handle can thus potentially reach series production using synergy effects.

Furthermore, it is possible to provide the UWB antenna together with other electronics, for example with a possibly existing LF interface or a capacitive and / or inductive proximity sensor as a common module for a vehicle door handle or within the handle of a vehicle door handle.

The arrangement of the UWB antenna on a vehicle door handle or within a vehicle door handle goes beyond the aforementioned with the advantage that an operator seeking access to a vehicle usually moves towards the vehicle door handle and turns to it. From this point of view, good conditions for communication between an ID transmitter in the possession of the operator and the UWB interface arranged within the handle can be expected, since shading objects between operator and vehicle can be excluded with a high degree of probability in a natural course of movement.

It is preferably provided that the UWB antenna and the control circuit are part of a UWB interface. In a special development it can be provided that the UWB interface is implemented as a UWB transceiver and the UWB transceiver is positioned within the inner cavity of the handle.

As stated above, the handle of each generic door handle, regardless of whether it is pivotable or stationary, has two end sections, each with associated bearing sections. The gripping portion is arranged therebetween. That is defined Gripping section through the accessibility and operability for a user. The gripping section is correspondingly that section which is available for gripping or reaching behind. This is particularly the case where there is sufficient space between the handle and the door panel (or handle support), since a distance of at least 3 centimeters between the handle and the door panel is required for a comfortable grip. Correspondingly, the gripping section is at a distance from the handle carrier which offers space for the hand or fingers of a user. This space is the gripping space already mentioned at the beginning. In contrast, the end sections cannot be grasped from behind. They run close to the vehicle sheet metal or the underlying handle carrier and are even coupled to the handle carrier without spacing in the area of the bearing section.

The antenna can for example be arranged partially or completely within the gripping section.

Alternatively, the antenna can be arranged partially or completely in an end section.

According to the invention, the antenna within the handle is oriented towards the sheet metal section of the vehicle door. This preferably means that due to the orientation of the antenna within the handle and pointing to the vehicle door, at least a significant proportion of the UWB waves emitted by the UWB antenna are emitted in the direction of the sheet metal section. At least a proportion of a third, particularly preferably half, of the power density of the radiated power is preferably emitted towards the sheet metal section of the vehicle door.

The position and orientation of the antenna, together with the shaping of part of the sheet metal section, the so-called reflector area, is to be interpreted by a person skilled in the art in mutual coordination. The coordination of the shape of the reflector area of the sheet metal section on position and Orientation of the antenna is designed according to the invention in such a way that the reflector area acts specifically as a reflector for UWB signals that are emitted by the antenna towards the reflector area or that are transmitted by a UWB signal located in front of the reflector area within a target transmission area to be defined by a person skilled in the art. Reaching the reflector area coming from the source.

According to the invention, a section of the part of the sheet metal skin of the vehicle, which contributes to the provision of the gripping space with the handle, is specifically designed and as a reflector area in cooperation with a UWB antenna that is specifically oriented towards the reflector area for an optimized distribution of UWB signals to use. As a result of the matching shape and positioning of the reflector area and the UWB antenna, there is a targeted reflection of UWB radiation that comes from the UWB antenna to the reflector area, out of the gripping area and, for example, to an expected position of the operator.

It is essential for the invention that the specific choice of the antenna, the positioning of the antenna within the handle and the alignment of the antenna at the position of the antenna are provided in coordination with the reflector area. In other words, depending on a desired radiation profile of the UWB signals in the direction facing away from the vehicle door and away from the vehicle, the reflector area is provided as a correspondingly shaped metal sheet, for example sheet steel. The beam path between the antenna and the reflector area is set by suitable positioning and orientation of the antenna relative to the reflector area and also by coordinating the reflector area relative to an intended position and orientation. Within a framework set by other set boundary conditions, for example if the desire for a minimal extension and / or a maximum extension of the gripping area or the design of the handle are given by the OEM, with the adaptation of the position and alignment of the antenna on the one hand and the position and shape of the reflector area on the other hand, an overall concept for the vehicle door-vehicle door handle system, for example empirically, be determined with which an optimized or at least improved transmission and / or reception behavior is achieved. The specific choice of position and orientation of the antenna as well as the shape of the reflector area is heavily dependent on the framework conditions already mentioned; It is essential that the joint coordination of the position and orientation of the antenna and the shape of the reflector area is carried out in order to achieve a desired, preferred or at least optimized emission of UWB signals away from the reflector area to a presumed position (or a defined reference position) of the operator caused by reaching into the grasping space and / or by UWB rays from the assumed position of the operator during grasping into the grasping space to the reflector area and from there to the antenna.

An essential concept of the invention is therefore to specifically design the sheet metal section of the vehicle door as part of an antenna system, which consists of reflector area and antenna and in which the reflector area is used as part of the sheet metal section to improve UWB communication by means of the antenna.

The fact that a directed emission of UWB radiation from the UWB antenna to the reflector area and from this into the surroundings and in the other direction of UWB radiation collected and reflected by the reflector area to the UWB antenna can take place an improvement in UWB communication can be achieved. Last but not least, this effect can result in a targeted reduction in the transmission power of the UWB antenna or ID transmitter, if desired also for both, be used with the advantage of a reduced required power consumption and thus a longer expected service life up to the renewed provision of an energy source, for example in the context of a battery change.

The control circuit is preferably arranged within the inner cavity and has signal lines which are led to the handle carrier. By providing both a control circuit and a UWB antenna as part of the handle, the technical implementation is simplified and, for example, by using common components such as a common circuit board, the manufacturing costs can generally be reduced.

In order to improve the signal quality of the UWB communication emitted by and received by the antenna, the vehicle door handle, according to a further development, is formed at least in some areas with one or more non-metallic materials. This is implemented in such a way that a signal path from the antenna to the environment is provided without metallic shielding. In particular, a signal path between antenna and reflector area, preferably each signal path between antenna and reflector area, is designed without metallic shielding.

In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the antenna is designed for UWB signal transmission at frequencies which are within a frequency range between 30 MHz and 10.6 GHz. A UWB signal transmission is preferably carried out with frequencies between 2.0 GHz and 8.0 GHz. In particular, it can be provided that a frequency spacing of at least 2.0 GHz, preferably at least 4.0 GHz, lies between the lowest frequency used and the highest frequency used. The corresponding adaptation of the control circuit is preferably part of a development of the invention. The specific choice of Sub-ranges of the mentioned frequency ranges depend, for example, on the countries in which the door handle according to the invention is intended to be used and which frequency ranges are approved for UWB communication in these. If necessary, the same handle can be adapted to the country by means of software adaptation or software-based switching of a correspondingly prepared control circuit.

It is particularly preferred if the antenna is arranged as a conductor track on a circuit board. The vehicle door handle can contain further electronic components which can be arranged on the same circuit board. However, it is essential that a circuit board section is positioned such that the antenna is positioned in the manner according to the invention. The antenna can also be arranged together with the control circuit on a common circuit board, in which case it is essential that the circuit board is aligned and arranged in the handle in such a way that the antenna is arranged on a surface of the circuit board facing the sheet metal section.

The circuit board is preferably designed as a circuit board that can be bent at least in certain areas for positioning the circuit board in the vehicle door handle. A printed circuit board can therefore be provided which is designed to be bendable in certain areas or completely. The bendability in certain areas can be brought about, for example, by material tapering and / or by a corresponding choice of a bendable plate material. As a result of the bendability of the circuit board that is achieved, the circuit board can be inserted into the vehicle door handle with a certain degree of flexibility and can thus be used to a certain extent for differently shaped handling. Last but not least, the provision of a flexible printed circuit board is associated with the advantage that, when a correspondingly designed handle is provided, the antenna is also positioned the smallest possible distance from a wall of the handle facing the reflector area can be positioned.

It is particularly preferred if the pivoting section is designed as an extension of the gripping section of the handle and the pivoting section is formed by a section of the handle which is less than 30% of the total length, preferably less than 20% of the total length of the handle.

The swivel section thus represents at most 30% of the length of the handle and is defined as an area which a user does not grasp at all during normal operation. The area in this section between the door panel and the handle is usually so small that it is not even possible for a user to reach behind. In other words, the gripping space is formed by at least 70% of a longitudinal extension of the handle together with the door panel.

One embodiment of the invention provides that the sheet metal section is designed as a recessed grip, that is to say has an indentation towards the vehicle interior. In principle, a protrusion or a flat design of the sheet metal section is also possible, but it is preferred that the sheet metal section forms a recessed grip, whereby the desired functionality is achieved with a sheet metal section embodied in a particularly elegant and visually appealing manner.

In an advantageous embodiment of the invention, the reflector area has a parabolic section curvature. In other words, there is at least one section through the reflector area, which can be described at least in sections with a parabolic function. The reflector area particularly preferably has a parabolic cutout shape. In other words, there is at least one two-dimensional, non-planar, section from the reflector area, which can be mathematically described as part of a lateral surface of a parabolic.

The antenna is preferably located within a focal point of the curvature of the parabolic section or the parabolic section formation. In other words, the coordinated position and orientation of the antenna and the shaping of the reflector area can take place using the knowledge known from the field of parabolic mirror antennas.

In order to reduce the shadowing of the UWB radiation by the handle itself and to take advantage of the freedom in the design of the vehicle door handle, it can be provided in particular that the reflector area has a parabolic section curvature or a parabolic section shape which, together with the antenna, forms an offset antenna.

In an advantageous embodiment of the vehicle door handle, a proximity sensor, which is preferably designed as a capacitive or inductive proximity sensor, is arranged within the inner cavity of the handle. The control circuit and the proximity sensor are coupled to one another in this embodiment, the control circuit being set up to control the antenna and put it into a communication-ready mode after the first proximity sensor has detected an approach of an operator and the control device has detected the approach of the operator by outputting a proximity signal has communicated. In order to technically implement the control of the UWB antenna, it can be provided, for example, that both the UWB antenna and the control circuit are components of a UWB transceiver that are mostly in a state that is not ready to transmit or receive. In this development, the control circuit is set up to control the UWB transceiver so that the UWB antenna of the UWB transceiver is put into a ready-to-receive state and / or a ready-to-transmit state. The UWB transceiver is therefore switched to the communication-ready mode as a function of the fact that the proximity sensor has detected an approach of the operator. Through this functional coupling of an approach of an operator detected by the proximity sensor with the readiness to send and / or receive of the UWB transceiver, periods of energy-intensive operation of the UWB transceiver are limited to time windows in which the functionality is probably actually required.

The first proximity sensor can be, for example, an NFC sensor, a capacitive sensor or an inductive switch. Optical sensors, such as time-of-flight cameras, can also be provided.

In particular in the case of configurations with a capacitive or an inductive proximity sensor, there is the advantage that capacitive or inductive proximity sensors are already present in many vehicle door handles that are currently available. This means that existing development results and experience can be used. Providing an NFC sensor, in particular an NFC transceiver, is associated with the advantage that the NFC functionality can be used to help improve the authorization check. A combination of NFC sensor, capacitive sensor, optical sensor, inductive switch and / or other sensor types is also conceivable.

Further details, features and advantages of the subject matter of the invention emerge from the following description in connection with the drawings, in which exemplary embodiments of the invention are shown.

It goes without saying that the features mentioned above as well as those explained below can be used not only in the respectively specified combination, but also in other combinations or on their own.

• Fig. 1a: Schematische Darstellung eines ersten Ausführungsbeispiels der Erfindung in einer Ruhestellung;
• Fig. 1b: Das Ausführungsbeispiel aus Fig. 1a in einer Betätigungsstellung;
• Fig. 2a: Schematische Darstellung eines zweiten Ausführungsbeispiels der Erfindung in einer Ruhestellung;
• Fig. 2b: Ausführungsbeispiel aus Fig. 2a in einer Betätigungsstellung;
• Fig. 3: Ein drittes Ausführungsbeispiel der Erfindung in schematischer Darstellung;
• Fig. 4: Ein viertes Ausführungsbeispiel der Erfindung in einer Ruhestellung;
• Fig. 5: Ein fünftes Ausführungsbeispiel der Erfindung in einer Ruhestellung.

The following figures are shown:

• Fig. 1a : Schematic representation of a first embodiment of the invention in a rest position;
• Figure 1b : The embodiment from Fig. 1a in an actuating position;
• Fig. 2a : Schematic representation of a second embodiment of the invention in a rest position;
• Figure 2b : Embodiment from Fig. 2a in an actuating position;
• Fig. 3 : A third embodiment of the invention in a schematic representation;
• Fig. 4 : A fourth embodiment of the invention in a rest position;
• Fig. 5 : A fifth embodiment of the invention in a rest position.

In Fig. 1a a handle 1 of a motor vehicle door handle is shown. This embodiment is a motor vehicle door handle with a pivotable handle. In the assembled state shown, the handle 1 rests on a vehicle door panel 2. A bearing section 3 designed as a swivel attachment and a bearing section 4 designed as an actuation attachment extend to the inside of the door through the door panel. On the inside of the door, the handle carrier 5 is arranged, of which the pivot bearing 5a and the actuating means 5b are shown here. The actuating means 5b are in an electrical or mechanical operative connection with a lock device 6, which causes the door to be unlocked.

The handle is designed as an elongated body and forms a gripping space 17 with a sheet metal section 14 of the vehicle door 2 located between the first bearing section 3 and second bearing section 4. An operator can reach into the gripping space 17 to pull the handle 1 towards himself.

A control circuit 10 is arranged in the interior of the handle 1 and is coupled to a UWB antenna 11 for bidirectional communication with a correspondingly suitable UWB communication counterpart. The antenna 11 and the control circuit 10 are arranged on a common circuit board 12. A cable harness 7 with supply voltage and signal lines is led from the handle 1 in the area of the pivot bearing 5a to the handle carrier 5. In this exemplary embodiment, the antenna 11 as well as the control circuit 10 are arranged on the circuit board 12, but it is also possible that in other exemplary embodiments the antenna 11 is designed as a separate module from the control circuit 10. Several electronic modules can also be provided, one of which is a module with the UWB antenna.

It is shown that the UWB antenna 11 is arranged on that side of the circuit board which is oriented toward the sheet metal section 14 of the vehicle door 2. The position and orientation of the antenna, together with the formation of a section of the sheet metal section 14, is shaped and positioned so that the sheet metal section 14 has a reflector area that functions as a reflector for UWB signals that are between the antenna 11 and the position of the handle 1 operating operator run.

Figure 1b shows an actuation situation of the vehicle door handle. The handle 1 is pivoted about an axis through the pivot bearing 5a, which is brought about by the action of a force in the direction of the arrow 15. The actuating means 5b are deflected by the actuating attachment 4 and this deflection is transferred to the locking device 6. It can be seen that only the acting lever forces will cause the user to regularly choose a point of application on the handle 1 which faces the recessed grip 14, at least after a certain familiarity with the door handle arrangement. This results in an in UWB transceiver in the immediate possession of the operator (for example, as part of an ID transmitter) is positioned with high probability in a good position to the sheet metal section 14 and to the UWB antenna 11.

Figs. 2a and 2b a further embodiment of a vehicle door handle can be found. This embodiment differs from the embodiment of FIG Figs. 1a and 1b in particular by the proximity sensor 13, which is designed as a capacitive proximity switch in the illustrated embodiment. The proximity sensor 13 is connected to the control circuit 10. In the embodiment of Fig. 2a and the Figure 2b the control circuit is set up to control the antenna 11 and to put it into a communication-ready mode depending on whether the first proximity sensor 13 has detected an approach of the operator.

Fig. 3 a further embodiment of a vehicle door handle according to the invention can be found. The embodiment of Fig. 3 differs from that of the Fig. 1 in particular in that the antenna 11 and the control circuit 10 are designed as devices which are spaced apart from one another but are coupled to one another. Such an embodiment allows a more flexible arrangement of the antenna 11 within the handle 1, so that the same control and antenna elements are suitable for a particularly large variety of handles 1 of different shapes and geometries. In particular is Fig. 3 it can be seen that the orientation of the antenna 11 to the sheet metal section 14 differs from the orientation of the antennas 11 of FIG Figs. 1a to 2b differs. The more flexible alignment of the antenna 11 is one of the advantages of the independent arrangement of the antenna and control device.

The embodiment of Fig. 4 an embodiment of the sheet metal section 14 can be seen in which a Reflector area 14 'is set up specifically as a reflector for UWB signals that are radiated from antenna 11 to reflector area 14' and is set up for UWB signals that come from a UWB source located in front of reflector area 14 'and reflector area 14' to reach. In the section shown, the reflector region 14 ′ has a curvature which can be described as part of a parabolic curve, it is therefore a parabolic section curvature. The antenna 11 is positioned in such a way that a focal point of a parabola, with which the intersection line of the reflector area 14 'can be described, lies in the antenna. This has the effect that UWB radiation which, for example, reach the reflector area 14 'incident on one of the parallel lines of incidence 16 and 16', is reflected by the latter pointing towards the focal point and is thus directed precisely towards the antenna 11. Conversely, electromagnetic waves emitted by the antenna 11, in this case with many different frequencies from a wide frequency band (UWB), are reflected away from the reflector area after being reflected by the reflector area 14 ', oriented parallel to one another.

The exact positioning of the antenna 11 and the exact shape of the reflector area 14 'depend heavily on how the overall design, including the vehicle door handle, is specified and the position is defined for the operator as the target operating position. Many other aspects can also be varied within the scope of the design, so many other than parabolic or parabolic shapes can also be provided, depending on which parameters are to be optimized in the overall configuration. The use of an exactly or approximately parabolic or parabolic line or surface shape is advantageous because extensive empirical values are known from satellite technology for such shapes and which can be used can be. The in Fig. 4 The illustration shown of the curvature of the parabolic section in connection with the antenna 11, which together form an offset antenna.

This in Fig. 5 The illustrated embodiment differs from that in Fig. 1 illustrated embodiment in particular by the flexible design of the circuit board 12. Because the circuit board 12 is flexible, the advantages of the common arrangement of control device 10 and antenna 11 on the same circuit board 12 as well as the flexibility when arranging the antenna in particular relative to the sheet metal section 14 combined with each other. For example, it can be provided that the circuit board is inserted into a suitably prepared half-shell when the handle is assembled and, after the circuit board has been inserted with a potting compound, the circuit board including the control device and antenna is potted. It is essential that a potting agent which only slightly impaired the UWB waves, in particular a slightly absorbent, is used. With a view to good reflection of the UWB waves, the sheet metal 14 is provided in particular as a steel sheet 14 with a smooth surface, as is often the case with vehicle bodies. If necessary, a coating agent that promotes the reflection of electromagnetic waves can be applied to paint the recessed grip 14.

Claims (14)

1. Vehicle door having a vehicle door handle, wherein the vehicle door handle has a grip (1) and a handle holder (5), wherein the grip (1) is mounted in the handle holder (5), wherein the grip (1) is formed as an elongated body and is mounted in the handle holder (5) with a first bearing section (3) arranged on a first end of the grip (1) and a second bearing section (4) arranged on a second end of the grip (1), wherein the grip (1) with the handle holder (5) is positioned on a vehicle door (2) and together with a sheet metal section (14) of the vehicle door (2) forms a grab space (17), which is intended for a user to grip behind the grip (1) between the grip (1) and the sheet metal section (14), wherein an antenna (11) is arranged in an inner cavity of the grip (1) and the antenna (11) is coupled to a control circuit (10) for controlling a transmit and receive operation with the antenna (11), wherein the antenna (11) is formed as a UWB antenna for a UWB signal transmission in a UWB frequency range, characterized in that the antenna (11) is oriented towards the sheet metal section (14) of the vehicle door (2), wherein the position and orientation of the antenna (11) as well as the deformation of at least one reflector region (14') of the sheet metal section (14) are coordinated in such a manner that the reflector region (14') acts in a targeted manner as the reflector for UWB signals, that are emitted from the antenna (11) to the reflector region (14') or that reach the reflector region (14') approaching from a UWB source located in front of the reflector region (14').
2. Vehicle door according to Claim 1, wherein the control circuit (10) is arranged in the inner cavity and has signal lines that lead to the handle holder (5).
3. Vehicle door according to Claim 1 or according to Claim 2, wherein the vehicle door handle is formed at least in sections with one or several non-metallic materials in such a manner that a signal path from the antenna (11) to the surroundings is provided without metallic shielding.
4. Vehicle door according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the antenna (11) is designed for UWB signal transmission in a UWB frequency band from the frequency range between 30 MHz and 10.6 GHz, preferably between 2.0 GHz and 8 GHz.
5. Vehicle door according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the antenna (11) is formed as a conductor track on a circuit board or the antenna (11) is formed as part of a UWB transceiver.
6. Vehicle door according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the antenna (11) is arranged on a circuit board (12) arranged in the cavity, wherein the antenna is arranged on a surface of the circuit board facing the sheet metal section (14).
7. Vehicle door according to Claim 6, wherein the antenna (11) and the control circuit (10) are arranged on the same circuit board (12).
8. Vehicle door according to Claim 6 or according to Claim 7, wherein the circuit board (12) is formed as a printed circuit board that can be bent at least in sections for positioning the printed circuit board in the vehicle door handle.
9. Vehicle door according to one of Claims 1 to 5, wherein the antenna (11) is designed as a separate component spaced apart from the control circuit (10) and/or the antenna (11) is designed as a fitted antenna.
10. Vehicle door according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the sheet metal section (14) is designed as a handle recess.
11. Vehicle door according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the reflector region (14') has a parabolic section curve, preferably a parabolic cut-out shape.
12. Vehicle door according to Claim 11, wherein the antenna (11) comprises a focal point of the parabolic section curve or the parabolic cut-out shape.
13. Vehicle door according to Claim 11 or according to Claim 12, wherein the reflector region (14') has a parabolic section curve or a parabolic cut-out shape and together with the antenna (11) forms an offset antenna.
14. Vehicle door according to one of the preceding claims, wherein a, preferably capacitive or inductive, proximity sensor (13) is arranged in the inner cavity of the grip (1), and wherein the control circuit (10) and the proximity sensor are coupled to one another, and wherein the control circuit (10) is designed to control the antenna (11) and set it to a communication-ready mode, after the first proximity sensor (13) has detected a user approaching.

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